The present invention is directed toward input devices for personal computer systems, including desktop and laptop computer systems.
Personal computer systems generally include desktop systems and laptop systems that can operate alone or in network applications. Desktop computer systems typically include a computer processor and a separate display positioned on a desktop, table or other type of support structure. A primary input device, such as a keyboard, is coupled to the processor to allow a user to transmit alphanumeric commands to the processor. Conventional desktop computer systems also generally include at least one secondary input device, such as a mouse, that has a motion detector and one or more input buttons to control a pointer or cursor on the display. For example, the motion detector can be a roller-ball mechanism and the input buttons can include left and right input buttons to click selected areas of the display. In many conventional desktop systems, the roller-ball mechanism is operated on a mouse pad that has a surface area of approximately 40-80 in2.
One drawback with a typical mouse is that it may be inconvenient to use in many desktop applications. More specifically, one problem is that crowded desktops or tabletops may not have sufficient space for operating a full-sized mouse configured to fit the palm of a user because mouse pads occupy a significant amount of surface area. Another problem is that many computer users need to reach away from the keyboard to grasp the mouse. For example, when the keyboard is supported by a pull-out tray that slides underneath the desktop, many computer users need to stretch to reach a mouse supported by the desktop in front of the keyboard. Such stretching for a mouse is not only tiresome, but is also interrupts the operation of the computer. Thus, it may be inconvenient or even uncomfortable to operate conventional full-sized secondary input devices in desktop applications.
Laptop computer systems are generally portable devices that operate from either external or portable power sources. Conventional laptop computer systems typically have a base assembly pivotally connected to a display assembly. The base assembly typically includes the primary input device (e.g., keyboard), and the display assembly typically includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) or another type of display. To access the keyboard and the display, a user positions the base assembly on a surface (e.g., the user""s lap or a fixed surface) and pivots the display assembly away from the base assembly. To stow and easily transport the computer after use, the user secures the display assembly to the base assembly in a closed configuration.
As with desktop computer systems, conventional laptop systems also typically include at least one secondary input device to supplement the keyboard. The secondary input device in laptop systems may include a rollerball, touch pad, joystick or other similar device used to manipulate or move images on the display. The secondary input devices in laptop systems may be an integral, permanent component mounted to a central portion of the base assembly adjacent to the keyboard (e.g., joystick or touch pad devices), a detachable component that can be removably detached from an edge of the base assembly, or a separate device that operates apart from the base assembly (e.g., a full-sized mouse).
One drawback of operating joysticks or touch pad systems in laptop systems is that the user may wish to position such devices to one side of the base assembly. For example, the user may wish to manipulate the secondary input device with a particular hand, and thus the user may wish to position the device toward that particular side of the base assembly. A further drawback is that the user may wish to detach the secondary input device from the base assembly to manipulate the device in a position remote from the computer. For example, the user may wish to place the secondary input device on a mouse pad and operate it in a manner similar to the operation of a full-sized mouse for a conventional desktop system. Thus, it is often inconvenient to use secondary input devices that are integral, permanent components mounted to the base assembly of a laptop computer.
In applications that use a full-size mouse with a laptop system, another drawback is that there may not be sufficient space for operating such a secondary input device. Many laptop systems are used in airplanes, buses, cars, trains, or other cramped and crowded situations where there may be a very limited amount of surface area to operate a full-sized mouse. Thus, it is also inconvenient or even highly difficult to use a full-size mouse in such constrained environments where laptop computers are often used.
The present invention is generally directed toward input devices for controlling a pointer or other visual indicator on a display of a computer system. In one embodiment, an input device includes a body configured to face a support structure (e.g., a base assembly of a portable computer, a desktop, a tabletop, etc.), a projecting member extending between the body and the support structure, and a position sensor operatively connected to the projecting member. The body may be a housing including a first section or bottom section configured to move over the support structure, and a second section or top section facing generally away from the support structure. The second section can have a contoured surface extending over the support structure such that the contoured surface is configured to engage a palm of a hand of a user. The body, for example, may be a full-sized mouse housing configured to be gripped by a user.
The projecting member can have a first portion connected to either the body or the support structure, and the projecting member can have a second portion projecting from the first portion toward the other of the body or the support structure. The projecting member, for example, can be a rod having a first end pivotally connected to the body and a second end engaged with the support structure such that the second end is inhibited from moving with respect to the support structure. In this embodiment, the position sensor is attached to the body. As the body moves over the support structure, the projecting member moves with respect to the position sensor corresponding to the relative movement between the body and the support structure. The position sensor accordingly detects the relative displacement and velocity of the projecting member, and the position sensor sends signals to the computer to control the pointer on the display corresponding to the relative movement between the body and the support structure.